AUGUSTA, Ga. – The Augusta State cross country teams showed why they've been ranked for most of the season, with each team finishing sixth at the NCAA Southeast Regional Saturday at McAlpine Park in Charlotte, N.C.

The ladies, led by sophomore Alicia Connolly's 23:10 and 23rd-place finish, placed second among Peach Belt Conference squads, trailing only NCAA National Championship-bound Montevallo in the standings. Connolly earned All-Southeast Region honors by finishing among the top 25 runners. Senior Lyndsay Nichols and freshman Jessica Carpenter also scored top-50 results, ending the year 37^th and 38^th. Jacquelyn Nagel and Savannah Sutton counted just outside the top-50, checking in at 54^th and 58^th.

The women finished with 203 points, 73 back of second-place Montevallo for the final berth to the NCAA Championships. Montevallo and Queens, which dominated the event by placing all five runners in the top 20 to win by 101 points, will race for the title of best in Division II November 19 in Spokane, Washington.

The men finished with two All-Southeast Region runners, as sophomores Dustin Ross (32:44, 18th place) and Robert Blackwelder (32:57, 23^rd) each earned the honor to lead the Jags to a second-place finish among PBC teams behind UNC Pembroke. Both runners improved over 20 spots from last year's race.

Jaiden Brandt (39^th) finished in the top 50 to cap a quietly successful season, while Matthew Johnson and Adam Aldridge also counted, coming in at 64^th and 68^th, respectively.

Queens won the event for a fifth straight year, with 62 points. They earned a berth in the NCAA Championships alongside second-place finisher Mount Olive. ASU finished with 207, tied with Anderson (S.C.) and 125 points back of a berth to the National Championship.

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